The Tactical Implications of Using Obama as an Issue in Midterm Campaigns

Republican candidates and independent groups working on behalf of Republican candidates in various Senate and other races this year have spent considerable cost and effort on the campaign tactic of connecting Democratic candidates to President Barack Obama. Their thinking centers on the assumption that this connection of a candidate to […] Read more »

Obama’s Low Approval Rating Casts Shadow Over Democratic Races

… This year many Democratic candidates find their future is in somebody else’s hands — namely Barack Obama’s. Handicapper Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report says Obama’s sagging popularity is casting a long shadow over his fellow Democrats. “If the president’s job approval rating was 5 or 10 points […] Read more »

In a Partisan Atmosphere, It Can Even Be Hard to Find Numbers That Agree

Since his second term began, President Obama has had a solid answer to Republicans’ “Where are the jobs?” complaint. The jobless rate has fallen two full percentage points. Yet Mr. Obama’s own ratings have fallen, too. So has public confidence that the economy is getting better, even as the economy […] Read more »